Josh Hokit has a plan for an eye poke, and it escalates fast.
Ariel Helwani asked Hokit how he’d respond if Ciryl Gane fouled him at UFC 334. Hokit answered with a revenge ladder that starts in the cage and ends somewhere in Western Europe. MMA Orbit posted the clip on X on Tuesday:
“If he pokes my eye, I’m gonna hit him in the back of the head. If he hits me in the back of the head, I’m hitting him low. If he hits me low, I’m stabbing him now. If he stabs me, I’m shooting him. If he shoots me, I’m finding his family and killing them. If he finds my family and kills them, I’m going to France and conquering them.”
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That’s the challenger in Saturday’s heavyweight title fight at Madison Square Garden.
Hokit is 10-0 and trains out of Jackson-Wink MMA. The UFC’s heavyweight rankings had him at No. 5 as of Oct. 24. Before MMA he was an All-American wrestler and a tight end and fullback at Fresno State. He spent time on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad and lasted five days with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. He debuted in Bellator in October 2023 with an arm-triangle over Spencer Smith at Bellator 300. He turned 29 on Thursday, the same day the UFC held the pre-fight press conference.
Gane is 14-2 out of MMA Factory, a former Muay Thai fighter, and the first Frenchman to hold a UFC title. He sat at No. 11 in the UFC’s pound-for-pound rankings as of Sept. 22. Both men last fought on June 14.
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Hokit knows exactly what he’s doing with the trash talk. In a back-and-forth with Daniel Cormier about whether his comments are helping or hurting his career, Hokit pointed to Cormier’s own pay history:
“You fought Jon Jones for $50K. I’m not going through that. I don’t want anyone to lowball me. If I gotta crack a few eggs to make an omlette, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
That’s a fighter answering a question straight, and I’ll take it every time.
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The two faced off for the first time on Tuesday in Times Square and traded words, according to MMA Junkie. A day earlier, Spinnin Backfist caught Hokit slipping right into character when he ran into Poatan.
Gane vs. Hokit headlines UFC 334 on Saturday, Nov. 14. If the referee keeps it clean, France should be fine.
